About

$8,525

pledged of $8,500 goal

51

backers

The Project in a (coco)Nut Shell

In collaboration with linguists, anthropologists, videographers
and language software specialists, from Bali and elsewhere, we (an American non-profit organization) are
developing the first multi-media materials for the Balinese language. Balinese script is already endangered and the spoken
language is dramatically changing. These materials, which will be donated to nonprofit organizations, will provide a
record of where the spoken and written language is now and will encourage the use of Balinese for the future.

Details

The materials will contain two sections: conversational Balinese and Balinese script.

The conversational parts of the materials are primarily geared to Balinese living outside of Bali, children of mixed marriages who generally tend to speak Indonesian or English, and
non-Balinese interested in learning the language. These materials will be based on a series of video of dialogues (see a video on our site, www.basabali.org)
that one might typically encounter in
Bali. The
dialogues and accompanying exercises will be carefully created to teach
grammar, pronunciation, and appropriate word choice (extremely tricky in
Balinese which has multiple registers depending on social status, age
and context of the speakers and the subject matter). A series of notes will help users understand the cultural context of the dialogues so that learners not only learn how to speak, but learn to speak appropriately.

The program will also include a chapter on Balinese script which native speakers will find as helpful as those just learning the language. A whole series of activities will help users master this beautiful, but difficult, writing system.

The Need

In an island of 3.1 million, the Chief of the Balinese Culture Agency recently announced that less than one million can speak Balinese. Despite recent efforts to cultivate the language, the use of Balinese is at a critical crossroads due to a number of factors:

Indonesian is the lingua franca of public
schools, newspapers, and television. Increased interaction and
intermarriage with Indonesians from other islands, principally with the
Javanese, requires speaking in the common language of Indonesian rather than in
Balinese.

Increased tourism and interaction with the
international community along with greater participation in the world market
puts a premium on English, further diminishing the use of Balinese. Expats living in Bali tend to learn Indonesian rather than the very complex, but beautiful, Balinese.

Some of the younger generation prefer to use the
egalitarian Indonesian instead of the stratified Balinese.

The pervasive use of Facebook tends to encourage Indonesian rather than Balinese since groups often involve non-Balinese speakers and because of the awkwardness of using a language which requires identifying the caste of the speaker to the listener on the often anonymous internet.

The number of loan words (words borrowed from other languages) often overwhelms speech, even when both speakers are Balinese.

Our Approach

Our goal is to bring together the best thinking we can find on the Balinese language along with linguists specializing in effectively teaching non-Western languages and language software folks.

We are deeply appreciative of the people who have shared their insights and wisdom, including members of our own Board (Prof. Wolff, for example, developed language materials for five Southeast Asian languages, Prof. Amrih Widodo and Putu Suasta taught Indonesian using dialogue methodology, and Prof. Maxim and Prof. Kammen are Southeast Asian experts), Udayana University Professor of Linguistics Windhu Sancaya and Udayana University Professor of Letters Made Suatjana, Donny Harimurti of Yayasan Bali Galang, Cultural Anthropologist Rucina Ballinger, Linguist Professor Edmundo Luna, Linguist Laetitia Knight, Videographers Maria Doukeli and Agus Putu Pranayoga, language software specialists,Valerie Earl and Chuck McGonagle of Transparent Language and the amazing people of Bale Banjar Bali and Belajar Basa Bali Bersama...

Why We Need Funds

Although Transparent Language has very generously donated the language software for our use, and so many people are donating their time and talents free of charge, we still need funds to cover in-BALI costs of producing the videos and dialogues. The staff of BASAbali is unpaid. We need your help for this relatively modest budget to create high quality materials that we hope will have a high impact. Donations are tax deductible within the U.S.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

A coconut shell sculpture (approx. 4.9" x 5.3") on a terracotta stand by Balinese carver Putra Suteja, who died in Nov. 2009 after a long illness. Putra Suteja came from a long line of woodcarvers from the village of Gianyar and delighted in carving natural themes in a range of materials, including coconut shells. With many thanks to Novica.com for keeping Putra Suteja's memory alive through highlighting his work and for donating his carved coconut shells to this project. Shipped anywhere.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $550 or more
About $550

Tim Brookes of the Endangered Script Project has generously agreed to carve plaques for 10 backers with 2-5 words or names of your choice in Balinese script. Plaques are approximately 30"x6" and shipped within the US only. Please see one of the updates for a photo. With much appreciation to Tim...